Having served as a classroom teacher and school principal, Dr. Ray Posey chose to leave K-12 education to earn a doctorate at Vanderbilt University in Nashville to teach at the university level and work with preservice teachers prior to their entrance into the field. Helping teacher education candidate see teaching as an art, as something creative, is Posey's goal with all his students. It is his aim that every student leaves his class just a bit more creative than they were when they came into the course.

Jennifer Kritsch started full time at PLNU in 2012. Before that, she worked for 21 years in the K-12 educational setting. She spent time being a general education teacher and a special education teacher. In addition, her experience as a special education administrator gives teacher preparation candidates a unique perspective into real-world scenarios. Her passion for students with special needs is evident in every course she teaches.

Dr. Grace Fantaroni is a professor in the School of Education. Her focus is on supporting parents and families, especially diverse populations, understand and access support for autism spectrum disorders and other special needs. In addition, she has extensive expertise in positive behavior supports, supporting communication for students with limited language, and preparing teachers to be trauma-informed.  Dr. Fantaroni has teaching credentials in the areas of multiple subjects and special education for students with mild to moderate support needs.

Dr. Deborah Erickson has served as dean of the School of Education at Point Loma Nazarene University since 2013. Prior to her current appointment, she was a full professor and the assistant dean of the Graduate School of Education at California Lutheran University, where she also directed the Educational Leadership program for six years.

Dr. Wally Williams has been involved in 27 theatre productions at PLNU. His directing credits include Waiting for Godot, Uncle Vanya, Caucasian Chalk Circle, Much Ado about Nothing, Dr. Faustus, The Importance of Being Earnest, Freud’s Last Session, and many others. He has over a dozen professional credits for organizations such as the Mark Taper Forum, Long Beach Civic Light Opera, the Christian Broadcasting Network, Showtime Cable, and others.

Upon earning his teaching credential at Point Loma Nazarene College in 1988, Skip Rutledge became a visiting professor and debate coach, and eventually earned his M.A., and Ph.D. in rhetorical communication from San Diego State University and Regent University, respectively.

Dr. Lisa Raser joined the faculty at PLNU in 2016 after teaching at Humboldt State University. She brings experience teaching a wide variety of courses, including organizational communication, gender and communication, interpersonal communication, and a special topics course she designed entitled peace building and conflict resolution. Her particular interests focus on nonviolent communication and the communication of empathy, topics she loves to share with her students. An ethic of care is at the center or her teaching philosophy and also informs her research.

Dr. Melissa Newman joined the Communication Studies Department in 2015. She has served as a communication professor for the past 14 years at schools in Texas, Nebraska, and California. Newman is personally committed to the mission of PLNU as one who shapes, instructs, and mentors students in a “learning community where grace is foundational, truth is pursued and holiness is a way of life.” She loves teaching, advising students, and mentoring them as they pursue their vocational calling. Most recently, Dr. Newman was awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award at PLNU (2021).

Jeff Birdsell is an organizational communication scholar whose work explores the relationships between how we "do" work and how we communicate about work. His recent work in this area has examined the way undergraduate students understand their university life through metaphors, how graduate students navigate identity challenges when they do paid work in non-academic environments, and his own development of routines and identity while performing as a minor league baseball mascot.

Dr. Dale Shellhamer taught at Pasadena PLNU for 40 years. Teaching assignments were primarily general, organic, and advanced organic chemistry. As professor emeritus, he continues his involvement in undergraduate research. He has more than 60 peer-reviewed research papers published with students as co-authors. Shellhamer has also written two book chapters and was a co-author on a U.S. patent.